This document defines and provides examples of different types of pronouns in English. It discusses personal pronouns, interrogative pronouns, indefinite pronouns, relative pronouns, possessive pronouns, reflexive pronouns, intensive pronouns, demonstrative pronouns, reciprocal pronouns, and distributive pronouns. For each type of pronoun, it identifies what category they fall into and provides examples to illustrate proper usage. The document is intended to serve as a comprehensive reference for understanding English pronouns.

1. PRONOUN
BY – RESHMA MULCHANDANI

2. DEFINE PRONOUN
• A pronoun is a word that replaces a noun or a noun phrase,
e.g.
• Ram is going to the market. He is buying vegetables.
• George is talking to his mother.
• The brothers are not talking to each other.

4. (1) PERSONAL PRONOUN
• Personal pronouns take the place of specific nouns that
name people, places and things. Personal pronouns are used
instead of a name to avoid repetition and to help ease the
flow of sentences.Though the name suggests they are
only pronouns that describe people, personal pronouns can
stand in for objects, ideas, and places as well.
• Personal pronouns can be divided into singular and plural
categories depending on the number of items they refer to.
They can also be divided into first, second and third person,
as seen in the list of personal pronouns below.
Personal Pronoun Singular (1) Plural (2 or more)
First Person (speaking
about oneself)
I, me we, us
Second Person (speaking
to the reader or listener)
you you
Third Person (speaking
about someone or
something else)
she, her, he,
him, it
they, them

5. CASES OF PERSONAL PRONOUN:
• There are two cases of personal pronouns:subject pronouns and object pronouns.
• Subject pronouns include I, you, she, he, it, we, they. Subject pronouns replace the name of the subject
in the sentence. For example:
• I went to the mall.
• You are the love of my life.
• He studied hard but still failed the test.
• She went to a party with friends.
• It's a girl!
• We want to register to vote.
• They are not in charge here.

6. • Object pronouns include me, you, her, him, it, us, them. Object pronouns take the place of the object
in the sentence (that is, the noun that receives the action in a sentence). Object pronouns are used as
both direct objects and indirect objects. For example:
• Give me the cookie.
• Dad will help you soon.
• Sing her a song to help her sleep.
• My mom will drive him home.
• I had to buy it for full price since I lost the coupon.
• The carrots went bad, so we had to throw them away.

8. (2) INTERROGATIVE PRONOUN
• We use these pronouns specifically to ask questions.These pronouns are special because they
all start with "Wh", which makes them easy to remember.
• Do not confuse them with what most elementary school teachers call the "5 W's - who, what,
where, why, and when," because, these are not all interrogative pronouns.
• The interrogative pronouns that most English speakers are aware of are:
• whom, whose, who, what, and which
• These are the pronouns that help English speakers find out information.The words
"whatsoever" and "whichever" are also used sometimes, and they are considered interrogative
pronouns as well.

9. ‘W’WORDS THAT ARE NOT INTERROGATIVE
PRONOUN
• There are several other words that start with aW -
but they are not interrogative pronouns just because
they are words that start withW and are in
questions!
• For example, "when" is not an interrogative
pronoun. Neither is "why" or "where."
• Also remember that unlike other pronouns,
sometimes interrogative pronouns do not have
antecedents because you are not yet sure what they
really are!
Interrogative pronouns
Used correctly
Interrogative pronouns
Used incorrectly
What is your favourite colour? When do you have to wake up
tomorrow?
Whose shirt is this? I don't know where she was going.
Whatsoever do you mean by that?
Whom were you speaking with last
night?

10. (3) INDEFINITE PRONOUN
• An indefinite pronoun is a pronoun that refers to a person or a thing without being
specific.
The most common ones are:
• all, any, anyone, anything, each, everybody, everyone, everything, few, many, nobody, none, one,
several, some, somebody, and someone.
• Like all pronouns, an indefinite pronoun is a substitute for a noun or a noun phrase.

11. EXAMPLES OF INDEFINITE PRONOUN:
• Here are some examples of indefinite pronouns (shaded):
• A classic is something that everybody wants to have read and nobody wants to read. (Mark
Twain, 1835-1910)
• Of those who say nothing, few are silent. (Thomas Neil)
• Everything is funny if it is happening to somebody else. (Will Rogers, 1879-1935)
• Everybody likes a kidder, but nobody lends him money. (Arthur Miller, 1915-2005)
• None of the printers are working.
• Either of the sisters is welcome to attend.

12. Singular Indefinite
Pronouns
Plural Indefinite
Pronouns
Indefinite PronounsWhich
Can be Singular or Plural
Another
Anybody
Anyone
Anything
Each
Either
Enough
Everybody
Everyone
Everything
Less
Little
Much
Neither
Nobody
No-one
Nothing
One
Other
Somebody
Someone
Something
Both
Few
Fewer
Many
Others
Several
All
Any
More
Most
None
Some
Such

13. (4) RELATIVE PRONOUN:
• A relative pronoun is used to connect a clause or phrase to a
noun or pronoun.The clause modifies, or describes, the noun.
The most common relative pronouns are
• who, whom, whose, which, and that.
• Sometimes when and where can be used as relative pronouns
as well.

14. USING RELATIVE PRONOUN:
• Relative pronouns are placed directly after the noun or pronoun they modify. For example:
• The driver who ran the stop sign was careless.
• The children, whom we love dearly, need better educations.
• Never go to a doctor whose office plants have died. (Erma Bombeck)
• I have a friend whose cat is annoying.
• The book, which is now out of print, has all the information you need.
• This is the book that everyone is talking about.
• In each example above, the subject of the sentence is described by a relative clause (italicized).As these clauses
describe a noun or a pronoun, they are also known as adjective clauses, because they act like adjectives in the
sentence. Each clause is introduced by a relative pronoun (in bold). Relative pronouns connect the description to
the rest of the sentence in an orderly way.

15. A NOTE ABOUT ‘WHO’,‘THAT’,AND ‘WHICH’
• One of the most common mistakes in writing is to use the wrong relative pronoun, particularly when it comes to mixing up "who" and "that." "Who" is always used to set
up a relative clause that describes a person, while "that" is used to describe an object or another non-human being. For example:
• I like the girl who runs fast.
• I like the dog that does tricks
• I like the clock that chimes the hour.
• Another common error is to mix up that and which.When describing objects and non-human beings, "that" is used to introduce a defining relative clause, while "which" is
used to introduce a non-defining clause. For example:
• The cat, which is very old, took a nap.
• The cat that is very old needs to see the vet today.
• The relative pronoun "which" is used for non-essential information set off by commas; "that" is used for essential information and requires no additional punctuation.
• When it comes to people, however, you don't have to worry about confusing "which" or "that."You always use "who”. For example,
• The woman, who is very old, took a nap.
• The woman who is very old needs to see the doctor today.

17. (5) POSSESSIVE PRONOUN:
• The possessive pronouns are used to refer to a specific person or a thing belonging to a person.
They are the pronouns that show possession or ownership in a sentence.There are two types of
possessive pronouns:
• The strong (or absolute) possessive pronouns are
mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, yours, and theirs.
• They refer to a noun or noun phrase already used, replacing it to avoid repetition:
• "I said that phone was mine."
• The weak possessive pronouns (also called possessive adjectives) are
my, your, his, her, its, our, your, and their.
They function as determiners in front of a noun to describe who something belongs to:
"I said that's my phone."

18. • When we want to use a pronoun to show possession, we cannot use subject pronouns.
Does the following make sense?
• This is my brother. He name is Alex.
• No.And here's why. "He" is a subject pronoun. Now, if you replace it with the appropriate
possessive pronoun, it will make a lot more sense:
• This is my brother. His name is Alex.

19. (6) REFLEXIVE PRONOUN:
• Reflexive pronouns are used when the subject and the object of a sentence are the same.
Take the sentence,
• "She took herself to the hospital."
• In this example, "she" is the subject of the sentence. "Took" is the verb. But who did she
take?The answer is "herself," a terrific illustration of a reflexive pronoun at work.
• As you examine this type of pronoun, you'll see we use them regularly in everyday
speech and writing.
• Next, you'll find a list of reflexive pronouns and how and when to use them correctly.

20. IDENTIFYING & DEFINING REFLEXIVE PRONOUN
• One of the biggest markers for reflexive pronouns is their ending.They always end in -self or -selves and
refer to a previously mentioned noun or pronoun.Another giveaway is the fact that these pronouns
serve as the object of a sentence, always coming after the verb.
• For example:
• I taught myself to play the guitar.
• You know yourself better than anyone else.
• In the first example, "I" is the subject/noun, "taught" is the verb, and "myself" is the reflexive pronoun,
referring back to the noun "I." "Myself" is also the object, answering the verb "taught."
• In the second example, "You" is the subject/noun, "know" is the verb, and "yourself" is the reflexive
pronoun, referring to the noun "you." "Yourself" is also the object, answering the verb "know."

21. (7) INTENSIVE PRONOUN:
• Intensive pronouns emphasize, or intensify, nouns and pronouns.They're also called emphatic
pronouns.
• Typically, we find these pronouns immediately after the noun they're intensifying (but not always).
Another great way to spot intensive - or emphatic - pronouns is to note they typically end in -self or -
selves.The list includes:
• myself, himself, herself, themselves, itself, yourself, yourselves, ourselves
• To get a sense of how intensive pronouns work, take a look at these sample sentences.
• I myself don't forgive you.
• He himself built that house.
• Sheila approved the purchase herself.
• We went to listen to Obama himself speak.
• It was so crazy, she herself stood up before the crowd to take a stand.

22. INTENSIVE PRONOUNVS. REFLEXIVE PRONOUN
• You'll often see intensive pronouns stacked up against reflexive pronouns.The two are closely
related. Reflexive pronouns also end in -self or -selves, just like intensive pronouns.You'll
notice the list is identical:
• myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves
• So, why are there two separate labels? See if you can sniff out the difference in these
examples:
• I told myself not to spend all my money on new shoes.
• You're going to have to drive yourself to work today.
• We gave ourselves plenty of extra time.
• They bought themselves a new tiny house.
• Actually, take yourselves to the party.

23. • Did you catch it? The difference between the two is that intensive pronouns aren't essential to a
sentence's meaning.
• They're merely there to add emphasis or extra intensity.
• Meanwhile, reflexive pronouns are essential to the sentence's meaning.
• Let's take one of the emphatic examples above (where things are getting intense).
• You could say, " I myself don't forgive you," or, "I don't forgive you."
• Both sentences have the same meaning.
• However, with reflexive pronouns, there's no denying the importance of the pronoun.
• For example, there's no way around, "We gave ourselves plenty of extra time."
• If you tried to omit the pronoun in this sentence, you'd cease to have a complete thought. To whom did
you give plenty of extra time?
• So, that's what it boils down to. You can, indeed, show emphasis with intensive and reflexive pronouns.
You'll know which one you've chosen when you've either created a complete thought or a brief clause.

24. (8) DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUN:
• So demonstrative pronouns are the same pronouns that are also used for demonstrative adjectives –
this, that, these and those.
• How do you tell the difference?The difference is in the sentence structure.
• The demonstrative pronoun takes the place of the noun phrase.
• The demonstrative adjective modifies the noun and is always followed by the noun.
• For example, here are some demonstrative pronouns that are taking the place of the underlined noun phrase:
• The food you're cooking smells delicious. --> That smells delicious.
• The pretzel-like yoga move we're doing really hurts. --> This really hurts.
• What is the strange Sasquatch-like creature coming toward us? -->What is that?
• The cockroaches currently giving birth under our kitchen sink are totally gross. --> Those are totally gross.
• The pink petit fours on my plate are my favourites. --> These are my favourites.

25. • There are three other words that are sometimes used as demonstrative pronouns –
• such, none, and neither.
• Examples are:
• He will allow none.
• Neither will do.
• "Such is the human race, often it seems a pity that Noah... didn't miss the boat." - Mark Twain

26. (9) RECIPROCAL PRONOUN:
• A reciprocal pronoun is used to express a mutual action or relationship.There are two
reciprocal pronouns:
Each other, One another
• Here are some easy examples of the reciprocal pronoun each other. Use each other when
there are two things.
• Jack and Jill hate each other. (Note that Jack hates Jill, and Jill hates Jack.The action is reciprocated.)
• They gave each other presents.
• Have you seen each other's solution?
• (Note: Each other is treated as singular.Therefore, the possessive apostrophe is placed before
the s.)

27. Here are some easy examples of the reciprocal pronoun one another. Use one another when there are two
more than things.
 The crayfish started eating one another.
 The team members played their hearts out for one another.
 They deliberately blocked one another’s proposals.
 The competitors were deliberately blocking one another’s view to gain an advantage.
(Note: One another is treated as singular. Therefore, the possessive apostrophe is placed before the
s.)
Here are some real-life examples of reciprocal pronouns:
 When two people are like each other, they tend to like each other. (US author Tony Robbins)
 Gentlemen don't read each other's mail. (US Secretary of War Henry Stimson)
 Laws, like houses, lean on one another. (Statesman Edmund Burke)
 America is a land of small talk because we won't violate one another's privacies. (Author Karan
Mahajan)

28. PRONOUN – PART 6
BY – RESHMA MULCHANDANI

29. (10) DISTRIBUTIVE PRONOUN:
• Distributive pronouns refer to people or things taken one at a time. Examples are
• each, either and neither.
• Since they refer to a single person or thing at a time, distributive pronouns are always singular and are
followed by singular verbs.
• Each: Each refers to everyone of a group of persons/things taken separately. For example,
• Each boy was given a present.
• She had a child hanging on to each hand.
• Each of: Before a noun with a determiner (the, my, this etc.) we use each of. Note that each of is
followed by a plural noun and a singular verb. For example,
• Each of the boys was given a present.

30. Each can have different positions in a sentence.
 Each of the boys was given a present.
 The boys were each given a present.
 The boys were given a present each.
Either and neither: Either and neither can be used only when speaking about two persons or things. Either means one or the
other of two. Neither means not one nor the other of two.
 Either answer is correct.
 Either road will lead to the railway station.
 Neither team could win a decisive victory.
When speaking about more than two persons or things any, no one or none should be used.
 I don't like any of these three shirts. (NOT ... either of these three shirts.)
 No one offered to accompany him.
 None but the brave deserves the fair.